WWE history: CM Punk makes a bet with John Cena after returning to the company
The backstory
In 2013, former WWE Champion CM Punk made his return to WWE at that year's Payback pay-per-view held in the Allstate Arena in Illinois, which also coincided with the Chicago Blackhawks' run in the Stanley Cup Finals. To show support for the team, the Straight Edge Superstar wore Blackhawks-themed trunks during his match with Chris Jericho at the PPV.
You can check it out in the video below:
CM Punk likes the team so much that he placed a bet with the 16-time World Champion John Cena.
CM Punk and John Cena place a bet
Punk is no doubt a big hockey fan. A glance at his Twiter profile is enough to tell you how big of a fan he is. Because Punk was a big fan of hockey, especially the Chicago Blackhawks, he tweeted and chattered about it so much that he was blamed by some people in WWE for turning WWE fans into hockey fans which caused Monday Night Raw's ratings to drop.
Here is a report from Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter regarding Punk being blamed for the low numbers:
"Speaking of Punk, one person in the company commented that the 6/24 Raw rating was hurt partially due to Punk. It was said as in facetious in the sense we all know it means nothing but people in the company were talking like it did. The idea was that because he was tweeting so much about the Chicago Blackhawks and the Stanley Cup, and went to so many of their games, that it turned wrestling fans who weren’t hockey fans into NHL fans, and with how great the series was, it caught on. The NHL final game absolutely hurt the Raw rating."
If that doesn't sound absurd, I don't know what does. CM Punk and John Cena, two people you wouldn't imagine could breathe the same air, placed a bet on which team would win the Stanley Cup, with $1 on the line. Just like their match at the Money in the Bank PPV in 2011, Punk came out with the win, as the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Boston Bruins to win the Stanley Cup Finals. Cena had no choice, but to pay up.
The aftermath
The Voice of the Voiceless had the last laugh and he was $1 richer. Punk's support for the Chicago Blackwarks was rewarded in a big way as he got to hoist the Stanley Cup. Punk went on to retire from pro-wrestling and joined UFC where he was unsuccessful. Cena, on the other hand, defeated AJ Styles at the Royal Rumble PPV to become a record-tying 16-time World Champion.
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